Search doesn't find all results.

[Authentech]

Searching for folders which are clearly there returns no results.

I am searching for a specific word which is part of multiple folders but they do not all appear in the results.

If I search multiple times it wil sometimes have 1 result and sometimes 2, but there should be more.

I can't think of a reasonable explanation why repeating the same search will return different results unless there is a technical issue with Dropbox itself.

Is this a known issue that will be resolved?

EDIT: Just wanted to also mention I've tested this with multiple browsers and incognito mode. My client (who came to me with this issue) also has the same problems.

[jamestoothill]

Also having this problem, I can't find any files created after midday yesterday..

Looks like an indexing problem on dropbox's side? but causing a big headache for us, as we use the search in an API.  Any idea when it'll be resolved?

[Jay]

Hi @Authentech, thanks for messaging the Community!

I'm sorry to hear about this. We're not experiencing this issue currently.

Is this only on the Dropbox site, or do you have this issue when searching via the Dropbox desktop application?

Keep me posted!

[Authentech]

I just tried on the Dropbox app and it has the same issue.

Searching for the folder in Windows comes up just fine, but the Dropbox app and website don't find it, even though it is clearly there on the website and synced from the App.

I even tried deleting the folder and waiting for it to sync, then re-adding it, it still doesn't show up in searches.

It seems like other folders that are added are coming up (although sometimes the search results show a different number of results and back again).

I'm not sure what else I can do to get it working. It doesn't have any strange characters at all.

I tried the bad_files_check which is broken and just causes the browser to freeze and use up most of my RAM.

[milaaaa]

Actually search capability is the biggest pet peave I have with Paper and it might be the reason why I switch to another platform.
Sadly, I'm probably one of the most passionate users of Paper - I mean, I converted soooooo many people to it (I work with different teams and I INSIST on having them use it), I literally copy paste 99% of things I read to Paper so I can read in Paper rather than in even browsers, so it's naturally, it's become my 2nd brain. I'd like it to stay my "2nd brain" but it won't unless search capability is improved. If I know that more results should come up for whatever I'm searching for, then I'm not relying on Paper, if anything I'm seeing that Paper fails me. 
Also, another indication that search capability is not a priority for Paper is the size and location of the search bar. Having it peripherally positioned makes it very very painful to search for anything. 
Anyway, INVEST in search, guys! 

[Jay]

The bad files check link is longer in use. You can use the option the Dropbox desktop application to 'view sync issues'  to see if there are any problems syncing.

Could you try running an incognito browser without any extensions or plugins and see if this helps?

[Authentech]

As I said in the original post I’ve already tried incognito and multiple browsers. It can’t be the browser if it also happens in the desktop app. Windows search is finding the folder, it’s only the Dropbox search which has been unreliable. I can search for the same thing a few times in a row and the number of results varies. Why are some folders being randomly dropped from results?

[Walter]

Thanks for keeping us in the loop here @Authentech.

Could you post a screenshot of a folder on your computer that's not coming up in the website's search bar so we can have a visual too? 

[Authentech · Accepted solution]

So it's actually started working now.

Perhaps it was a delay in indexing at Dropbox side?

Seems odd though, it doesn't usually take very long and this was all day.

[PlanOmatic]

We are also experiencing this issue. When searching parts of a folder name, some searches find what we're looking for and other searches find nothing. This forces us to have to find the folder we're looking for by manuallly clicking into the appropriate path. Our technology team was able to send us a link to one dropbox folder we couldn't find when searching so I know it exists but cannot be searched for. Reaching out to support as well in hopes of getting this resolved ASAP.